Open data. Open software. Open Decisions…with positive social impact.
Mission
The Open Water Foundation develops open source software and open data solutions to make better decisions about water.
We improve access to data and information and increase transparency for complex water issues.
Vision
A world where organizations and people can collaborate to solve complex water problems without barriers from software limitations.
Overview
As our mission states, the Open Water Foundation (OWF) is a nonprofit social enterprise that develops open source software and open data solutions to make better decisions about water. With increasing population, demand for water is increasing, resulting in negative impacts. In particular, water issues in the Western United States and other arid regions increasingly will influence decisions about the economy, environment, and society. OWF was formed to apply an open source software business model to water resource software, so that organizations have well-maintained tools to address important water problems. Every organization wants to base decisions on data and science; however, it is cost-prohibitive for any one organization to develop and maintain software tools. Government funding and research has produced useful software, but with budget and staffing issues, government agencies and short-term investment cannot be relied on to develop and maintain software tools. OWF is demonstrating an approach to collaboratively develop, enhance, and maintain open source water resource software tools, to the benefit of government, universities, consultants, nonprofits, and the public.
OWF Core Values
OWF was formed as a nonprofit social enterprise embracing core values to guide our work and help organizations make better decisions about wicked water problems. The open source software approach is a proven business model for providing solutions to complex technical problems while also encouraging collaboration and transparency. This approach can help solve complex water resource problems and forms the basis of OWF’s open innovation business model. We believe in a virtuous cycle where investment in open solutions provides economic benefits that results in additional rounds of investment. Our core values include:
- Collaboration – OWF works with other nonprofits, government agencies, universities, companies, and other entities to solve water/technology issues
- Transparency – as a nonprofit using an open source business model, we are demonstrating that open access to data and technologies ultimately lead to a greater understanding of problems and sound decisions
- Neutrality – OWF provides a neutral space for collaboration, focusing on shared interests rather than competition, and community-reviewed data and technologies
- Efficiency – OWF understands technology and water resource issues and can efficiently direct resources on projects
- Agility – we use a proven agile software development approach that involves frequent communication and coordination of work activities to develop outcomes that meet software product and project goals
- Cost-effectiveness – by pooling the financial resources of our clients and collaborators, we provide solutions that benefit everyone
- Sustainability – OWF creates software products and processes that are sustainable and serves as a steward for open source water resources software
- Innovation – we use our experience with technologies and water resource issues to test and deploy innovative solutions
OWF Initiatives
OWF Initiatives are the high-level focus areas for the work we do. Common threads are water, open source software, improved data access and transparency, and education. We collaborate with our funding partners to make progress on initiatives and support the goals of funding organizations.
OWF Staff
OWF’s staff bring a broad range of skills to the organization with experiences drawn from private and nonprofit disciplines, technologies, water resources, and public service. See the News and Events page for highlights about OWF staff activities.
OWF Board of Directors
OWF is governed by a Board of Directors with the CEO serving as ex-officio member. The Board of Directors helps guide OWF’s strategy and planning processes and represents a wide range of experiences from private industry, water education, agriculture, technology, environment, and municipal water use.
OWF Affiliations
OWF aligns itself with collaborating organizations in order to better understand water issues and collaborate on opportunities in order to have positive impact. See Affiliations.